1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to work piece transfer assembly for a press including a reciprocating member and a series of longitudinally spaced in-line stations wherein each station is a further progression of a work piece forming process and, more specifically, to a mounting system for a finger which engages and moves the work piece.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Such work piece transfer assemblies usually include a transfer bar and a motion transmitting mechanism for moving the bar inward, outward, and longitudinally for transferring work pieces through the press. A finger is attached to the transfer bar for engaging and transferring work pieces through the press. Typical prior art assemblies are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,833,908; 4,852,381; 4,895,013 and 6,196,044 to Sofy, and 5,074,141 to Takeuchi.
It is known to pivotally support the finger on a horseshoe or U-shaped mounting member having its legs attached to the transfer bar with a shear pin interconnecting the mounting member and the finger at the bottom of the U-shape for preventing pivotal movement of the finger during normal operation. The shear pin shears in response to an overload thereby allowing the finger to pivot relative to the mounting member to prevent damage to the transfer system. However, the horseshoe shaped mounting member occupies a significant amount of space between the attachment of the legs to the transfer bar and the displaced bottom rendering it relatively large and expensive. The size of the horseshoe shaped mounting member restricts the closeness of adjacent fingers.